Granderson: JD Vance has some explaining to do in Tuesday's debate

Tuesday's vice presidential debate between Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance is being portrayed as an everyman's battle — but it's more of a contrast between the Minnesotan who wears his heart on his sleeve and the Ohioan who has traded his heart for power.

The first time I met Vance was November 9, 2016, on the set of “Good Morning America.” It was the day after the election. Donald Trump should be president, and Vance told me he wasn't happy about it. In fact, earlier this year, Vance compared Trump to Hitler. That morning in New York, Vance told me that Trump didn't care about poor white people, he was just using them to win.

Opinion columnist

LZ Granderson

LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports, and navigating life in America.

Vances former dislike for his current comrade-in-arms is well documented, although the reasons for his new position are less transparent. It is important for Vance to explain his political shift and the timing of his decision Run for Senate in 2021. This debate is his chance.

After the success of his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” Vance founded two charities in Ohio. They failed without making much of an impact, in part because his anti-MAGA messages failed to resonate in the region. Just as Vice President Kamala Harris had to explain her changing views on fracking, Vance must explain how he went from being queer as a child to being an ally as an adult to referring to the LGBTQ+ community as a “groomer” during his campaign.

When Vance and I met in 2016, it wasn't about Trump. I told him that I had read his memoirs and appreciated his voice and perspective. We agreed that at this moment, more than ever, the country needed compassion for those who were different from us.

Today the guy doesn't just hurl insults People who don't have children and Haitian immigrants as Trump's vice presidential running mate, but is also introducing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in the Senate as one of the young faces of the far right. What happened to compassion, Vance?

“For these people, poverty is a family tradition,” he wrote of the community in which he grew up. “Their ancestors were day laborers in the slave economy of the South, then sharecroppers, then coal miners, and more recently machinists and mill workers.” The Americans call them hillbillies, rednecks or white trash. I call them neighbors, friends and family.”

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In 2016, Vance and I spoke about our shared experiences with poverty growing up and the devastating impact of drug addiction in our communities. We exchanged contact information and stayed in touch. I'm not saying we became best friends, but like many other people, I thought I knew him – and he wasn't the same man entering the debate against Walz on Tuesday.

America needs to know why Vance went from criticizing Trump over healthcare cuts to joining in the attacks. And why he no longer believes his candidate is “America’s Hitler.” Especially given Trump's ongoing affinity for dictators and moments of anti-Semitismlike saying, “If I don't win this election… the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with it if that happened.”

And don't just take my word for it.

Sofia Nelson became friends with Vance at Yale Law School in the fall of 2010.

After graduation, the two remained close enough to sign their emails “Love.” In 2016, Vance shared an excerpt from “Hillbilly” with Nelson, now a public defender in Detroit, because he was proud that it featured a prominent progressive lesbian.

When Nelson's friendship with Vance became public, a spokesman said Vance had changed his political views after becoming a father in 2017. Nelson, who is transgender, said Vance first changed He decided this was the best way to win Votes in Ohio, which is my opinion too. Before running for office, Vance questioned his sexual orientation in his memoir: I experimented with resistance in college and brought baked goods to Nelson after they underwent top surgery. It wasn't until his Senate run that Vance started calling out queer people.snow groomers” and against same-sex marriage.

If Walz is expected to clarify previous comments during Tuesday's debate, then Vance should be expected to explain why the move away from LGBTQ+ allyship coincided with his run for office. Because it looks political and not authentic.

“It's heartbreaking to see someone you respect and care about turn against you and your neighbors, especially when you know he's not the one,” Nelson told the New York Times.

Trump vs. Hillary Clinton brought out the worst in many Americans in 2016, and Vance and I were booked together on “GMA” to talk about healing. The last thing I said that day with Vance nodding in agreement next to meHe said: “This is a candidate who was endorsed by the KKK newspaper. So when racist things happen … it would be helpful to the national conversation if he addressed it.”

We know where the story goes from here. At least when it comes to Trump.

What we don't know is what happened to Vance between 2016 and 2021. We all have to find out on Tuesday.

@LZGranderson